Eyes of a Ranger
by GeneralGunnut
Summary: Zoey is seperated from her group, and now must rely on the mysterious Austin Murphy to survive. My 1st Fan Fiction.
1. Prologue

**Eyes of a Ranger**

**(First Story)**

**Prologue**

**-Setting & Blurb-**

The story takes place in Dallas, Texas and its surrounding areas. It takes place three months after the events of "The Parish". Zoey is separated from her group and now under the care of the mysterious Austin Murphy, a masked desperado that believes it's his divine duty to Sheppard any troubled survivor to safety while scolding the Earth from the undead threat. As their journey progresses, not is Zoey amazed by his bravery and fighting talents, but begins to build a relationship as the hero reveals more of his past.

**-Prologue-**

In the run down city of Dallas, there's tales of a mysterious man. Survivors call him the Masked Desperado, the Samurai Cowboy, he Mysterious Ranger, the Dallas Spirit, the Texas Sheppard. But, for those who were saved (or claimed to be saved) by this shadow respectfully call him by his real name, Austin Murphy.

There so much lore about this hero who lingers in skyline of the infested city. People claim that he can single-handily fight a tank with a bowie knife. They say he's the reason why the witch cries. They boast that he fought off thousands of zombies to save a group of orphans. With so much under his belt, there is much to debate about this hero. Some say he's an angel from God, sent to protect and guide any traveling survivor looking for rescue. Some joke off, saying he's the son of Chuck Norris or he's a descendant of Chicago Ted or that he might be Chicago Ted himself. Others don't believe he is real, that he might be just a collection of other people or he was made up by someone to give himself hope.

But, he is real. Survivors who have passed through the Dallas Area found tanks with lacerations caused by a sword, or multiple blades. There are stakes with heads of slayed witches scattered around the city. There've been reports by lone or drifted survivors who were tangled by the smoker's tongue, only to be saved by the sound of a .44 magnum and a puff of smoke, with no sign of an assailant. For those lucky enough to have a glimpse of this ghost, say he is five foot ten male, wearing a brown leather coat, blue jeans, boots, a brown cowboy hat, sunglasses, and a bandana that covers the rest of face. Despite his physical description, his love for saving people, his name, and his lust for zombie blood, there's not much known about the man. Whether he some superman or he's just a made up, many survivors see him as a sign of hope that humanity may win this war for its survival.

**-Welcome to Murphy-**

It's a cold, foggy morning in town of Murphy, Texas, a suburb located outside of Dallas. The town that populated over 10,000 living souls now holds only 4 new "residents" with 10,000 infected bodies willing to add them to their neighborhood. In a safe room in the middle of the community, four survivors prep up for their long adventure to Dallas.

"Alright everybody, we need get ready, quick." Bill commanded his colleagues, "We got a long road ahead us before we get to Dallas."

"Alright Bill, just let me pack up," replied Zoey as she put more supplies in her bag.

"What makes you think there's going to be evec center in the middle of Texas?" questioned the irritable Francis.

"Well, according the map on here," answered Louis, "it says that every two weeks a military helicopter scans this region of Dallas for any possible survivors." He points to the circled section on the city-map. "We happen to be in the time frame in which the helicopter should make its pass. If make it in time, we'll be scot-free."

"Pssst...Whatever. I'm already starting to hate this state," as Francis started to rant, "Why does everything have to be so big? Who fricking do??? It's like they are trying to compensate for something. I mean, why do we have to travel in the largest state?"

"Actually Francis, Alaska is the largest state," corrected Louis.

"Whatever," said Francis, "and who is this Austin Murphy on the wall?" as he pointed at the wall full of graffiti. "Is he like the founder of this town or something?"

"What made you come to that conclusion?" asked Louis.

"Well, aren't we in a town called Murphy? Isn't his last name Murphy?"

"Well, nice observation, Francis. But I doubt he's the founder of this town. I think he's more of an "over the top" hero, like that Chicago Ted fellow up North."

"Sounds like some prick. Either way, nobody is a bigger badass than me."

"Still, it would be nice to meet and team up with him," Zoey added.

"Looks like Zoey has a new boyfriend," Francis mocked.

Zoey gave him a glare, but Bill interrupted, "Can you all just shut up!" The group went silent by the veteran's frustration. "Alright, are you all ready?"

Each member of the party checked their weapons to insure that they were loaded. Bill carried a M16A3, Francis had a SPAZ12, Zoey took point with a Scoped Ruger Mini-14 Rifle, and Louis was equipped with an Ak-47. They checked their supplies; making sure they had plenty of med-kits, pills, ammo, and bombs. With everything checked, they unlocked the door and ventured into the unknown.


	2. Meet the Ranger

**Chapter One: Meet the Ranger**

As the sun continued to rise in the East, the four survivors trekked west through labyrinth of houses. This once happy suburb is now a creepy ghost town, filled with abandoned cars, empty houses, dead bodies and occasionally, a witch's head on a stake.

"Now that is just f-ed up, man," Louis said in disgust, as they passed by the staked head. "Seriously, whoever puts in the time to do 'that' must be crazy. Must be 5th one we seen today"

"Well, it looks like somebody hates witches more than you do, Francis," Zoey joked.

"Well...good for that guy," Francis responded.

"Something isn't right here," stated Bill. "We have passed ten blocks and we haven't encountered any of the infected. Plus, I have the strangest feeling that we are being watched." He took a sniff. "And it isn't dead."

"It must be theses witches," replied Francis, "I mean I wouldn't want my head chopped off. Besides, all of these eyes looking at you must be making your old brain all paranoid."

"Don't be an ass, Francis. Something isn't right. Be on guard."

The party continued westward without any challenge. 25 blocks later, they finally encountered their first wave of zombies.

"About time we see some vampires!" shouted Francis. The rest of the group simply shook their heads in disapproval.

The horde came charging towards the band of four and they replied in a hail of gunfire. The army of the undead simply got ripped apart by the flying bullets. However, one stray bullet accidentally hit a car, causing its alarm to go off.

"Damn it, Francis!" shouted Bill.

"Well, I guess it's my fault, again," replied Francis.

The noise attracted more infected and it's becoming apparent that they might get over run. In the distance on a rooftop, a masked ranger armed with a .44 magnum Henry rifle in his hands is observing the battle. He takes careful aim and fires a round at a hidden gas tank, creating a wall of fire that cooked the flesh off of the unlucky zombies caught in its blaze.

"Holy shit, who the hell did that?!" Louis explosively said.

The lone cowboy cocked the lever of his rifle and shot into a propane tank, blowing bits of zombies everywhere. He cocked again and fired at another propane tank, causing more damage in the horde.

"Is somebody giving us suppressing fire?" wondered Bill.

A smoker was trying to flank the group, only to explode in a puff of smoke. The vigilante then ducked out of sight to load his rifle and to change positions.

"Where is that extra shooting coming from?" questioned Zoey as she looked around for the mysterious rifleman.

"Charger! Look out!" warned Louis.

The charger came charging through the wading flames. While the other team members were quick to dodge, Zoey was not quick enough to react, causing her to be carried by the massive-one arm beast.

"Zoey!" shouted Bill. "Charger got Zoey!"

But then a boomer came charging at the remaining three and threw up on them. By the time he was incapacitated, the men were already surrounded by another horde.

"Shit man! There's too many of them!" shouted Louis as he fired upon the crowd of undead.

"We need to get to Zoey!" Francis said as he started to club the infected with his shotgun.

"But we can't break through!" replied Bill as he pulled a machete out and started to slash into the wall of meat.

The Lone Gunman got to his new point and fired at another gas tank, creating a new wall of fire. He then threw a pipe bomb into the fire, causing the surrounding zombies to follow a pointless, burning suicide. He saw, however, that the female was missing from the group and went full force to rescue her.

"Quick, in here!" commanded Francis as he opened up sewer drain "We need to get out of this moss pit!"

"But, we can't leave without Zoey," resisted Louis.

"But, there's no way we can get to her," reasoned Bill. "We need to leave now before more of them come. Besides, I think our mystery man went to get her." Bill saw a glance of a man jumping off a roof before he jumped into the dark tunnel.

The charger traveled Zoey quite awhile before he ran into a house, broke through the fragile window, and started to pound her onto the floor. She screamed in agony, painfully waiting for her comrades to help her. Yet, for every pound she received, the more hope she lost. All of a sudden, she heard two gunshots and the charger fell. She expected her three teammates to be there, but instead she only saw one person before she only saw darkness.

She woke with the words "Get up! Get Up!" being shouted at her. They were words from an unfamiliar voice. As she regained her vision, she realized she was on a table and her wounds were being treated by a masked man. He wore a brown cowboy hat and an opened brown leather jacket that covered what appears to a Kevlar vest. His face was covered by a black bandana and a pair of black sunglasses. He carried a lot of weapons including; a .44 Magnum Henry Rifle, an Ak-47 with a laser dot sight and an attached bayonet, a 1911 Colt .45, a Desert Eagle, a Katana, a Machete, and a Bowie Knife. He continued to speak.

"Come on, you got to get up, otherwise, you're going to end up dead." said masked man.

She sat up, only to see a hunter about to pounce on her rescuer.

"Look out!" she shouted, only see him club the hooded monster with his Henry and firing it one-handed in a smooth motion. The pouncer landed on the ground with a hole in its head.

"Thanks," thankfully replied the cowboy. "Now, do you think you can stand on your own two feet?"

Zoey slowly got off the table and tried to stand up, but she was in so much pain, she couldn't stand without any support. Her new companion was quick and wrapped his arms around the young woman, trying to prevent her from falling down.

"Here, take these," and the ranger handed her a bottle of pills. The pain went away, but she was still a bit winded.

"Thank you, you saved my life," said Zoey.

"All comes in the job, ma'am." replied the Texan. "Can I have your name, so I know what to call you?"

"The name is Zoey."

"Well nice to meet you."

"And your name?"

"I'm Austin Murphy."

"The guy on the walls?"

Suddenly, they heard the screaming of a new horde.

"We need to move quickly," rushed Murphy "do you think you can run?"

"Yeah, but, what about my friends?" asked Zoey. "Where are they? I need to find them."

"Your friends should be ok, but right now, we need to get the hell out of here."

"But..."

"Damnit Zoey, we need to move or we are going to get fucked in the ass! Now follow me, and try to keep up!"

Although this upset the young woman, she sucked it up and still followed man, knowing he is the only one she can trust for her survival for now.

They navigated through the alleyways and "pre-created" paths, while fighting waves of zombies. They eventually found refuge in another empty house. It must have been around 2:00 until they "lost" the horde. The duo was breathing hard. Although, he carried a lot of equipment, Zoey wondered how Murphy was able move so quickly and agile.

"It looks we're safe for now," Murphy indicated.

Zoey just gave him a death glare.

"Look, Zoey, I'm sorry what I said to you back there..." but before he could finish she slapped him on the face.

"Don't you apologize to me," angrily said the young woman while jagging her finger at his chest. "You should be ashamed of yourself for leaving my friends behind. I thought you had more...more...honor than that."

"But we couldn't. There were zombies everywhere and you were separated. Not just that, but you were getting pounded to death. The best I could have done was to distract the zombies, allowing your friends to escape, while single-handling saving you from that charger." He then turned and faced the wall, laying his head on the wall. He started to talk to himself, "It never gets any easier. When I think I'm doing something right, I somehow screw up. Lord, please help me."

Zoey felt sorry for what was said. She walked up to her rescuer and patted him on the back. "Look, I shouldn't be angry at you. I mean, you did save me and you did help my friends. I'm pretty sure the boys are safe and are as worried about me as I am towards them. I should be the one giving the apology, not you."

Murphy turned around to face Zoey. "It's ok," he replied while tipping his hat. "But we should go find your friends. Hopefully, they're not too far ahead."

So, the duo ventured through the alleys and shortcuts while facing little resistance from the infected. They returned to the site of the battle, only to be disappointed. The ranger examined area like how an investigator would examine a crime scene.

"Shit, where can they be?" Zoey panic.

"They must have escaped through the sewers," replied Murphy while looking at the semi-closed lid.

"And I thought Francis hated sewers"

"Francis?"

"He's one of my friends. So, should we go down there? Murphy"

Murphy was looking up in the sky and Zoey realized the sun was setting. "It's getting late," replied the Cowboy, "we need to find a place for rest."

"But we know where they went," argued Zoey. "We can catch up."

"Look, I don't know about you, but we have no idea how far they went. Also, it's much more dangerous traveling in the night. And besides that fact, you are pretty beaten. You need to gain regain your strength and rest. It'll be better for us if we rest."

"But what if we lose them for good?"

"I doubt it. Even your friends have a limit, in which they must rest. Besides, they are going to the evac site, so we are bound to meet up again."

Zoey finally gave in to his request."Fine"

"Good, I know safe room near here. Just follow me."

The duo safely made it to the safe room. Actually, it was more like a safe house. It was like any of the houses in the community, except its wooden doors were replaced by the standard red steel doors and its windows boarded up. Better yet, it had running electricity and running water. This must of been his, or well, one of his "personal" homes.

"Alright Zoey, you are a welcome guest of my home," introduced Murphy, "fill free to take a hot shower, while I prepare dinner. You properly never had a well-cooked warm meal for a long time."

Zoey was excited at aspect of a warm meal and a hot shower. These are rarities in the apocalyptic world.

She soon went to bathroom to get herself clean up. She took off her dirty clothes, put on the hot water, and went in to take the first shower she had in months. It was so relaxing. While the only soaps in there were "men sport" soap, it was better than smelling like blood, bile, and sweat. She was in there for a good 30 minutes before came out. As she went to dry herself, she examined herself naked. She was all bruised up and had cuts almost everywhere. She realized how fragile she was, and the images of her scars remind her that the world is still in hell.

She then went to put on her clothes, only to find a pair of clean jeans, a clean shirt, and new socks. She put on, only to find that they fit. She wondered how Murphy was able to find clothes that fit her size. But, she was happy enough that she had some new clothes. After she changed, she went over to the kitchen to have the best meal she ever had. It was beef stew, carrots, and rolls. Strangely, Murphy didn't bother changing clothes. This included the bandana and the glasses.

How can he be so comfortable in that? Maybe he was too lazy to change clothes. Maybe it's his nature to be always ready, so he doesn't change. Though, Zoey thought it was still weird that he would try to cover up his face. What did he have to hide?

"So, are you going to eat?" asked Zoey.

"I already ate," replied Murphy, "besides you need energy."

Zoey looked down at her food and wondered if could eat any more of it, even though it was so good. Even so, she asked for seconds.

"So, where did you come from?" asked Murphy as poured more stew into her bowl.

"Fairview, Pennsylvania," She answered.

"Wow, you survived ground-zero. I should be respecting you." He then took a seat next to her.

Zoey was flattered with comment. "Well, I didn't survive on my own. I mean, Bill, Francis, Louis, they all helped; well, we helped each other."

"Interesting, tell me more about your group?"

"Well Bill, he's kinda like the leader. He was Vietnam vet, so he knew how to survive. I learned a lot from him. Francis is kinda like the bad ass. Arrogant at times, but he's cool nevertheless. And then, there's Louis. He's the optimist of our group. Without him, well, things would have been worse." Then she gave sigh. "I wish they were here."

"Yeah, same here, they sound like an interesting group."

"Yeah, they are. How about you?"

"What about me?"

"Well, have you been with a group of survivors, or have you always been alone?"

"Well..." Murphy scrabbled as lifted his hat and scratched his brown short hair, for this is an uncomfortable question for him. "Let's just say that I did, but they are no longer among us."

"Oh," Zoey responded sympathetically while reaching out towards Murphy's hands. "I'm so sorry."

There was a pause before Murphy added, "I just don't like talking much about my past. Too much bad shit."

The silence continued for a good time until Zoey asked, "Why are dressed like that?"

"Well," the ranger answered, "Because it looks cool."

Zoey chuckled but then asked, "But why do you cover up your face?"

"As far as covering my face, I don't like getting zombie guts in my mouth or my eyes."

"Yet you're still covering your face."

But he quickly spinned the conversation "It's getting late; you need to get your rest."

Just like that the conversation was over. Murphy picked up her bowl and went to clean it. He then escorted his guest to a bedroom.

"Remember, as soon as we wake up and finish breakfast, we'll go find your friends," Murphy told Zoey.

"Thanks for everything," she thanked

"You're Welcome."

As the Zoey laid there on her soft bed, she couldn't stop thinking about Bill, Francis, and Louis. She wondered if they were ok; that they were worrying about her well being. She's sure they're fine, but she doesn't know. Then, of course, there's Austin Murphy. He's been a really helpful personand really nice too. He's saved her life and treated her well. But, he was also mysterious. It's like he's not open in talking about his past life. Even though he wasn't open enough to tell her his past, she could trust the man. She eventually fell asleep over the trends of her own thoughts.

By the red safety door, Austin Murphy stares up into the night sky. Ever since the infection, the night sky has always clear and the shepherd has been amazed by the beauty of the cosmos. In his hands, he carried a Rosary, while he silently prayed. When finish his last decade, he got up and quietly walked over to Zoey's room. He cracked opened the door, to reveal the young woman in an enchanted sleep. He then took off hat, his glasses, and pulled down his bandana to show his real face. With the exception of the facial hair, he had the face of a handsome young man. He was the same age as the teenage guest. He walked up to her, his pretty hazel eyes stared at the angel. "She reminds me of her," he said to himself as he pulled out a picture of a pretty young woman, who had long brown hair and striking green eyes, "Despite being young like me, you're a tough kid. We've lost a lot but we won't give up. We will survive this. You will return to your group and you will return to safety. I will protect you, even if the challenge kills me, I will not give up. As God as my witness, I promise you that you not end up like me or those that I have failed to protect in the past." A tear started to form in his right eye. He put the picture back in his pocket and covered the innocence of face up with his mask. He then went to his bed, pulled out his journal, wrote in an entry, and he went to sleep.


	3. Unexpected Reunion

**Chapter Two: Unexpected Reunion **

Zoey woke up feeling rejuvenated. It's been a long time since the teenager had a proper sleep. She got up, stretching every muscle in her body before giving a satisfactory yawn. As she checked the clock, she noticed it was six in the morning. She then heard a voice, "Hey Zoey, breakfast is ready." She put on her shoes and walked outside of her room. She could smell cooked bacon in the air, as Murphy set her breakfast plate filled with eggs and bacon. He was still in the same Client Westwood get up as before, but at least he did take a shower. He then took a seat next to her.

"Do you ever eat?" asked Zoey, as a joke.

"No, I'm fat. I need to slim down," replied Murphy sarcastically.

"You're not fat, you're just big boned."

They both chuckled, and then Zoey continued with her meal while Murphy detailed his plan to her.

"Alright, we're to head west and try to catch up to them. They shouldn't be too far from here. I did some recon early this morning and found their safe room five miles southwest from here."

Zoey spit her in amazement and gave the cowboy a huge hug. "Thank you, mister! Thank you!"

But Murphy brushed her off, only to give her some disappointing news. "Well, the problem is that they left the house when I got there. The only thing I found was taken ammo, some cigarette butts, and a message on the wall saying, 'I hate Texas, but I miss Zoey.'"

Zoey chuckled a little, only to follow by saddening sigh. While uncomfortable to his nature, he gave her a hug. "Look," he said softly in her ear, "we'll find them. I promise."

She sat back up a small smile. "Thank you," she said, "but how are we going to catch up?"

"Leave that to me," replied the ranger. "Finish your breakfast and we'll get going."

The young girl finished her meal and began to pack up. Then, Murphy led Zoey to the garage to show her a Harley motorcycle.

"Wow, Francis would be jealous," said Zoey.

"I bet he would," Murphy chuckled. "Don't worry, with this steel stallion, we'll be able to catch up to them."

"But the noise is going to attract a horde."

"Which is why I need you to cover me." Murphy then handed her a Mac 10 submachine gun. "And don't worry; we'll be able to out run them. I'm an excellent driver"

After Austin finished loading up the bike, he opened up the garage door and got on the bike. "Get on," commanded the cowboy and Zoey got on, holding on to the man tightly. He turned keys, revved the engine up, and the bike roared with the sound of thunder. "Here we go!" And the couple rode off west for their quest.

Murphy navigated through the abandoned cars while Zoey shot any zombie in the way as they enter the boundaries of Plano. The horde was coming in stronger and stronger as they rode deeper in to the territory.

"Zoey, heads up, Boomer ahead!" warned Murphy.

Zoey shot the submachine gun at the boomer, causing it to explode before they got close to it.

"Nice shot!" complimented the man.

"Thanks" replied Zoey. "Holy Shit! Murphy look out!"

Murphy noticed a tank was in the way. He quickly made a 180 and rode as fast as his bike could go. The tank picked up car and threw it at the couple, but the cowboy was too quick and dodged the flying car.

"We need to find a detour," remark the rider. He made a sharp left on to another street, only to encounter more infected. Zoey continued to lay down fire upon the undead bodies. They made another sharp left on to another street.

"Hey Zoey, can you reach in the bag down there on grab a pipebomb?" Murphy asked.

Zoey reached in the bag, grabbed a pipebomb, and threw it. The infected ran in mass towards the beeping bomb and they were all blown to tiny bits.

"We should be cleared for awhile," Murphy calmly said.

Then, a spitter ran out on to the road. "Spitter, 12 O' Clock!"

Zoey shot the spitter in the head, but it wasn't quick enough, as the spitter's acid spit hit the tires causing Murphy to lose control of the bike. As the tires melted, the ranger could only drive his iron horse into a parking lot of a shopping complex and park it. The duo dismounted the Harley and grabbed their gear. Murphy grabbed his modified Ak47, while Zoey got her hunting rifle.

"Looks like we're walking," said Murphy, only to have a strange feeling overcoming him. As he scanned the parking lot, he noticed the bodies of slayed infected and empty shells. "There are other survivors."

This brought up a shock of excitement for Zoey. They were closing in on her friends.

The ranger walked up to the expelled brass. He picked up a 5.56 shell. It was still warm. "And they're close."

Then Zoey finally ask, "Is it them?"

The cowboy examined the scene very carefully, only to give a disappointing nod. "This isn't your group."

"Why? How can you tell?"

"I see 5.56 rounds that would match Bill's M16. I see 12 gauge shells that would match Francis's shotgun. I do see 7.62 rounds, but they aren't the 7.62x39 round that an AK47 would use." He picked up the round and showed Zoey. "This is a 7.62x51 round."

Gunfire soon echoed the streets.

"It's coming across the street," Murphy said.

"We should help them," Zoey replied.

Murphy nodded in agreement and the duo ran to save the new victims.

The four survivors were holding out in a Burger Tank. They were taking out infected left and right behind the counter.

The hefty, tall black member of the group screamed, "I'm a one-man cheeseburger apocalypse!" He fired his 1911 Colt .45 in the crowd of zombies with one hand while eating his burger in the other.

"Hey Coach, can you stop giving yourself a heart attack?" teased the man in the white suit while blasted the infected with his SCAR.

"Hey, do you know how hungry I am, Nick?"replied Coach, as finished up his burger and switch his weapon to a Benelli M4 shotgun.

"Great, we're gonna to die because of your hunger," said Nick.

Then the group of four heard more gun fire as they witness more zombies getting mowed down.

"Sweet Lincoln's Mullet, who's helping us?" asked the black female of the group.

"I don't know, Ro," replied the young mechanic in the cap, "but at least I might be able to live to eat my burger."

Just then, a jockey landed on the mechanic's back and started to ride him out of the diner.

"Get this headhumper off my back!" screamed the man.

"Hold on, Ellis!" replied Coach, as he reloaded his shotgun

But before Ellis was out the door, a sniper round hit the jockey in the head and it fell off his back. As the young man recovered, he saw his rescuers. He smiled as he recognized the girl in the red jacket. He ran up to the girl in lightning speed and gave her a huge hug.

"Zoey, I never thought I'll see you here!" said the young man in excitement.

"Ellis, I thought would never see you again, too," Zoey replied while giving him back a hug. Murphy was confused by this reunion and felt awkward. The two old friends let go of each other, then Zoey said, "The last time I saw you was in Georgia. How did end up over here?"

"Well," explained Ellis, "we went to New Orleans to get rescued. And you see, we fought through amusement parks, and swamps, and sugar mills, and floods, and through the city, and we got to this bridge, you see, but we had to fight through a bunch of zombies while the army was trying to bomb us and what not. But, we were able to reach the helicopter and we flew out in the neck of time, but then we somehow crashed here, but it wasn't Nick's fault and…hey guys, over here."

The blabbering redneck got off topic as he signaled the three members of his crew to come over to him.

The large black man gave a jolly laugh and said, "Oh my lord, it's Zoey." He too gave her a hug. "How you doing, girl?"

"I'm doing fine, Coach," replied Zoey.

"It's been a long time since we seen you," stated Rochelle.

"Same here, Rochelle," said Zoey.

"So, where's the rest of your group? Did you ditch them for John Wayne over there?" asked the conman in a cunning remark.

"Actually, I got separated from them, Nick. But he's helping me find them," replied Zoey.

Nick glared at the masked ranger. "I don't like him."

"Come on now, Nick, we shouldn't be hating on our new friend here," replied Ellis. "We should introduce ourselves to him." He then turn and face the cowboy. "My name is Ellis."

"Everyone calls me Coach," introduced the large man.

"My name is Rochelle, cutie," greeted Rochelle.

"And I'm Nick," said Nick, only to then cross his arms and glare at him.

"Don't mind Nick, he's always like that," replied the Coach "So, what's your name, partner?"

"The name is Austin Murphy," answered the Texan.

"You mean the guy on the walls?" questioned Ellis, "Can you really kill a tank with only a bowie knife?"

"I doubt he can," replied Nick, "I doubt he can do most of the things he claims he can do."

"You're just jealous because you're not as badass as he is."

"I know I'm not from Texas, but I know the saying 'All hat, no horse.' Besides, why would I be jealous for not looking like Cowboy Curtis?"

"Guys, can you please stop it?" interrupted Zoey.

"She's right," replied Murphy, "we are losing time. We need to find Zoey's group before it's too late."

"If it's alright with you guys, you can hook up with us," offered the Coach.

"Yeah, it'll be like that one time when we first met," added Ellis.

"Sure, we could always use the extra hands," replied Zoey. "How about it, Murphy?"

Although he felt uneasy with joining this group, since they were a bickering bunch and might slow down their progress, it was his duty to help those in need of help. "Alright, I'm in."

Nick responded, "Greet, if we thought Ellis was bad enough, we actually have cowboy. It's like we're the Blue Collar Comedy Tour."

"Hey, did anyone watch out for my burger?" asked Ellis, "Oh nuts, my burger!"

So, the new alliance ventured off into undead city. They followed the road west with Murphy taking the lead while five other survivors followed the ranger.

"I'm not sure we should trust this guy," whispered Nick.

"Why don't you trust the man, Nick?" quietly asked Ellis.

"Because he sounds like too much of a phony," replied Nick. "And this is coming from a guy who makes a living for being a phony."

"Well, he has led without fighting any zombies. He knows what he doing," defended Ellis.

"Can you shush it you two?" asked Coach.

Then the ranger stopped and raised his hand. The group obeyed and stopped as well. He knelt down to the empty shells on the ground and found among them a cigarette butt. He picked it up and stated, "We're hot on their trail." But before group could get excited, the cowboy raised his hand again. "Something isn't right," he cautioned. "Do you hear that?"

The group merely shrugged their shoulders. However, it became clear what Murphy meant, as the sound of grunts became louder.

"I don't like the sound of that," commented Coach.

The group scanned around the stores, looking for the cause of the thumping. But Zoey blurred it out. "Tank!"

"Run and shoot, run and shoot!" ordered Murphy. "Let's get to that Taco Bueno!"

"Mmmm…tacos," commented Coach as he fired his shotgun at the tank while following the ranger.

"Why are we always making a stand at a fast food place?" complained Nick as he too started to run while unloading his Scar on to the giant beast.

"Charger!" screamed Rochelle.

Murphy saw the huge arm monster rushing towards group, aiming for Zoey. The ranger sprinted as fast he could to prevent creature from tackling the girl. He got between the beast and Zoey in the nick of time, as felt the force of a hurricane hit the Texan. The only thing left was his rifle and his hat that flew on ground.

"Murphy!" cried Zoey.

"Come on, girl, we need to get to that Taco Bueno!" shouted Ellis as he grabbed Zoey and the brown hat.

"Don't rescue the guy's asshat!" shouted Nick

The charger finally made a stop and started to pound the cowboy. He struggled hard to get out of its grip, but the charger was too strong. He was able to loosen his arm and grab his Desert Eagle. He took careful aim as the charger lifted him in the air. He fired two rounds in the creature's skull, and the charger was slayed. He took a hard fall on the ground.

He slowly got up and said to himself, "Man, I'm getting too old for this." He gave a chuckle for the irony in his statement. He then made fast pace back to the battle at hand.

"Quick, up the latter," voiced Nick.

The crew of five climbed up the latter of the Taco Bueno, trying to get on to the rooftop. The tank, however, grabbed a hold of Zoey's leg.

"The tank is grabbing Zoey!" Ellis shouted.

"Help!" Zoey cried.

Just then, they heard sounds of a Desert Eagle rip through the air, as the Tank soon lost interest in the girl and targeted to hatless cowboy.

"How about you mess with someone who's a lot tougher to kill!" taunted Murphy as threw his pistol to the side and drew his katana.

"Shit, is he mad?" said Coach in disbelief.

"Nah, he looks pissed," replied Ellis.

The tank made a snort and made a bull charge towards the swordsman. Murphy also charged at the gorilla-like beast. The tank tried to punch Murphy, but he ducked in time and sliced his sword into the side of its stomach. He then made a swift move and stabbed the beast in the side of its back. The tank roared in rage and swatted Murphy hard. The ranger got up, only to get an uppercut that sends him flying in the air.

The gang gasped as it seems like their hero might fail.

"We need to do something," pled Zoey. "Shoot it!"

"We can't, we might hit Murphy," replied Coach.

"I might be able to hit it," said Rochelle as she aimed her M21 sniper rifle at the tank.

"If you shoot it, Ro, it'll come after us," stated Nick as he forced her rifle downward. "Besides, we get to see Client Eastwood here take down a tank all by himself."

Murphy hit the pavement hard. His body started to ache. His bandana loosened and his face was revealed. There was blood running down his lips and nose. His face expressed anger and wariness. He found his sunglasses on the ground, only to be busted up. He then looked up to see the tank throw a Punch Buggy at him, but he quickly avoided getting hit by the Volkswagen.

"You busted my favorite pair of sunglasses and threw a German car at me," stated the warrior, "you are going to die."

He then stood up, shot himself with adrenaline, and made another charge at the huge monster. He ran up a car and jumped at the beast, thrusting his sword into the chest of tank while doing a somersault over his head. He then pulled out his machete and his bowie knife and made a jump on the abomination's back, stabbing it in the back with his knife and using his remaining force to pull himself up and hack the beast's head off with a machete. The tank was slayed.

The survivors, except for Nick, then cheered for what they saw. Although Nick showed no enthusiasm, he did give a small smirk. The crew got down to congratulate their comrade for conquering the tank. As Murphy put away his blades, he fell over in agony. The tank and the charger did a number on him, as he started to realize as the adrenaline started to wear off. Zoey sprinted to Murphy to help him up. She finally saw the face of her savior. It was the face of a young male, no older than she was. He was handsome and young. When he noticed the young woman staring deep into his face, he realized his mask was off. He tried to cover his face, but it was too late.

"Dang, he's only the kid," said Coach.

"A pretty cute kid," added Rochelle.

"He maybe younger than me, but boy, he just kicked some ass," complimented Ellis.

"Here, take these," Zoey said as she handed him a bottle of pills. "You're going to be ok."

Murphy took the pills and thanked her.

"Hey Murphy, you dropped these," said Ellis as he handed the cowboy back his hat and his rifle.

Murphy put his hat back on and thanked the friendly redneck.

"If it's rude enough for me to interrupt the party, but we need to get the sand hell out of here," said Nick.

"But Murphy is badly hurt," Coach stated as he and Zoey helped Murphy up.

"I know a saferoom from here," grunted Murphy. "It's a half a mile south from here."

"Well, we better hurry up. I hear a horde coming." Nick cautioned.

"Well, let's get going," replied Ellis as he pumped his SPAZ-12.

The survivors quickly moved, fighting through a new wave of zombies. A smoker tried to strangle Rochelle, but met its fate by a bullet from Nick. A jockey went after Ellis again, only to get an axe in its back from Coach. And a hunter tried to pounce on Zoey, only to get hacked into pieces by Murphy's brutal machete. They finally made it to the saferoom, tried and exhausted. They placed Murphy on the table, as they started to perform first aid on him.

"This is going to sting a bit," said Rochelle as she started to apply antibiotic cream on one his wounds. Murphy just simply hissed as Zoey kept telling him, "It's going to be ok." They then wrapped his wounds with medical gauze.

"There, you should be better," said Rochelle in a caring way.

Murphy sat up. While he was still sore, he did feel a lot better.

"Are you any better?" asked Zoey.

"Yes, thank you, ladies," replied Murphy.

"It's no problem, babe," replied Rochelle with a wink. She then walked over to Coach and Ellis, who were attempting to make dinner, while Zoey simply sat next to Murphy.

"So," said Zoey.

"So what," replied Murphy confused.

She wrapped her arm around Murphy. "You're not that ugly."

The ranger simply blushed with a smile and replied, "Neither are you."

"So then, why do you hide your face?"

"Well, I don't know how to explain it."

"How so?"

"It's just…"

Just then, Nick interrupted the two. "Hey lovebirds, dinner's ready. Oh and be careful, Coach made it."

"I heard that, Nick," called out Coach. "If you don't want it, you don't have to eat it."

"I'll most likely be puking it."

Soon enough, Nick walked over to his group.

"So, how actually do you know these guys?" asked Murphy.

"Well, our group was heading south to run away from the infection up North. But apparently, it spread a lot faster than we thought," replied Zoey with Murphy nodding with interest. "But anyways, we were in Georgia, outside of Savannah, when we happen to find these guys. At first, I thought they were a weird bunch but then I realized they were a bunch of lifesavers. After our encounter, we went our separate ways."

"Well, that's very interesting, Zoey," replied Murphy with smile. He had the sweetest smile. Then he grabbed her hand and they gazed in to each other eyes. They were in a trance with each other.

"Hey guys, your dinner is getting cold," Coach called out. "Food is better warm than cold."

"Unless it's Coach's, in that case, its better in a trash can," Nick remarked.

"Boy, I'm going to beat you like a red-headed step child."

"Well," chuckled Zoey, "we better eat. After all, you need your energy."

Murphy chuckled and followed Zoey to the dinner floor. So, the new group converged and ate their "interesting" dinner. Even though the group was irritated with Ellis's Keith stories, Murphy and Zoey listen to them with interest.

"Wow, your friend Keith is a really tough guy," said Murphy. "It'll be hard for me to believe that he hasn't survived."

"I know," replied Ellis. "In many respects though, you kinda remind me of Keith. Are you related to him?"

"I wish."

"My favorite story has to be the one when you guys snuck on paintball guns on to a roller coaster," complimented Zoey.

"Yeah, that was a fun time," replied Ellis.

Nick simply stared at the three kids and muttered, "If Ellis goes off about Keith one more time I'm going to strangle him."

"Now come-on Nick," defending Coach, "the kids are having fun."

"Besides, when does Ellis get talk to anyone who wants to listen to him?" added Rochelle.

"Hey, I'm just saying," said Nick.

They continued to chat and share stories until it was getting too late. Then the group decided to hit the hay. They shut off the lights and went to sleep.

Zoey woke up in the middle of the night. She had a nightmare; Bill was getting clawed to death by a hunter, Francis was getting strangled by a smoker while a spitter was burning his skin off with its spit, and Louis ripped apart by a tug-a-war between a charger and a tank. She cuddled in her sleeping bag, crying.

"Had a bad dream?"

She came out to her sanctuary to find Murphy sitting by the saferoom door. He was holding a rosary while staring at the starry sky.

"Come over here," whispered the ranger.

Zoey walked over to Murphy and sat on his lap. She wrapped her arms around him and cried on his shoulder. The cowboy merely embraced her.

"You really miss them, don't you?" asked Murphy.

"Yes," cried Zoey. "I really miss them. They're like my family."

"Have you ever looked up to the sky?"

Zoey wiped her tears off, turned her head, and looked into the heavens.

"It's beautiful," proclaimed Zoey.

"I know. Ever since the infection, I've been able to look into the night sky. It's so beautiful; it's so mysterious, that it inspires me. It makes me so grateful that I get survive so I can see what God has made."

He started to fumble in his pockets, only to take out a wallet. In his wallet, he had pictures of his friends and family before the infection. He showed them to Zoey.

"This was my family," he stated as he showed her the picture of parents and 4 other siblings. "I was the 4th oldest in my family. My dad was an Air Force Colonel, my brother John was an Air Force Grad, and my oldest brother was an Army grunt. Boy that was a conflict opener."

Zoey gave a chuckle then pointed to the kid who had long hair, "I bet he didn't want to join the military."

Murphy laughed, "That was my youngest brother. He refused to get a hair." He then gave a sigh. "We never had a good relationship."

"What do you mean?" asked Zoey.

"Well, it's not like I hated him, but I didn't like him either, and he was the same way towards me." He gave another sigh. "I have no idea what happened him. I know mom and dad got killed. My brother Stephen was sent to Fairview. John was sent to Louisiana to help out with the evacuations. My sister is still somewhere up north, but my youngest brother just disappeared." He gave another sigh then asked, "How was your family?"

"I was a single child in a wealthy family," replied Zoey. "I never had the joy or curse of having another brother or sister. My dad loved me but he was always busy with work. As for my mom, the only time it seems like we spent our time was when we went shopping. Other than, I would spend my "social" playing Xbox or watching movies."

"Sounds kinda like me. What were you doing before the infection?"

"I was a college student."

"Awesome, same here, what was your major?"

"I didn't have any major in particular. I mean, all I did at college was play video games and watch movies. I had no idea what I wanted to do. How about you?"

"Well, I wasn't sure what major I wanted, too. Well, I was leaning towards a History major, simply because I love history. But I totally wanted to become an Army officer. But then this happens."

Zoey continued to go through Murphy's pictures only to find the picture of a young woman with green eyes and brown hair. "Who was this girl?"

Murphy stared into the picture and took a deep breath. "That was Michelle. She was the girl that I loved. You could say she was my first girlfriend. We met right before the infection hit Texas. We were going to survive this and have a family together...and...and," He started to tear up. He tried hard to stop the crying but he couldn't. Zoey allowed him to cry her shoulder now. When he was finished, he sat back up and faced her. "You could say that's the reason why I cover my face. I don't want people seeing me when I cry. It shows weakness."

"It is that the reason why you pray too," asked Zoey.

"Somewhat. I do pray for her, my fallen friends, and my parents for their passage into heaven. I also pray for my missing family members and friends who still might be out there. I also pray for guidance and that things may get better."

"You're a religious person."

"I know. I was born a Catholic and I will remain a Catholic. Although, I'll admit, I've never been this spiritual before the infection."

"How so?"

"Well, this may sound like one of Ellis's Keith stories, but when I was escaping from the infection, I finally came to the evac site. I got on a chopper and I thought I was home free. But then a tank got hold of the chopper and unless we got it to let go, we were going to crash. So, I sacrificed myself by jumping out, hooking myself to the tank with my sword, and force the tank to let go using my knife and my weight. The tank did let go and we fell 10 stories before landing on top of an apartment. Luckily the tank broke my fall, but I was knocked out. When I was passed out, I had near-death experience where I heard a voice saying 'You are the shepherd of my people. You shall guide them out of darkness into the light.'"

"Wow that is amazing."

"What, you're not going to mock me?"

"I admire the fact that you have a sense of faith when things have gone all to hell."

"Thanks, so how you ever had a boyfriend?"

Zoey was a little shocked with this question. But since they were on the subject, she replied, "Well, there wasn't really anyone I really liked that much. There was this guy at college, but he turned out to be a complete bozo."

"How about from your group? Would you date anyone of them?"

Zoey was becoming quite embarrassed now. Although, their talking has calmed her down and made her worry less. "Well, Bill is more of father towards me, so that's a no. Louis is a caring guy and he's upbeat about everything, but he's more of a friend. And Francis, well, he a badass and we can connect but he can be a pig."

"How about these guys?"

"Coach is a bit too old for me, plus he's seems more like an Uncle. Nick is a creep. And Ellis, well he's sweet but he's kinda like a brother."

"I'm not sure that makes me comfortable if he's your 'brother'"

The couple laughed. "However," she continued, "if I would choose anyone, it would be you."

The ranger replied in disbelief, "Really?"

"Yes."

The duo locked eyes. Zoey found Murphy's eyes very pretty. They were like sunflowers. Their lips came closer and closer until they were locked together. Their kiss was eternal and for the first time, Zoey felt like the apocalypse will end. She had a reason to survive. Then, their lips unlocked.

"Well, we need to get to bed," stated Murphy.

"Yes, we do," replied Zoey.

"If you want to, you can sleep with me. I'll make sure the bad dreams won't get you," offered the ranger.

Zoey gave him a smile and said, "Sure."

So, Zoey got into her sleeping bag with her cowboy wrapped around her. The couple soon fell asleep. As Zoey entered her dream world again, she was standing on top of a mountain, with Murphy's arms around, while her friends were around them."


	4. All Aborad to Dallas

**Chapter Three: All Aboard to Dallas**

**A/N: How many references can you find in this story?**

"Hey, get up, sleepy head," whispered Murphy.

Zoey woke up from her dream. It was early in the morning, for it was still dark outside and everyone else was still asleep. Well, except for Murphy who was kneeling right next to her.

"Come on, get up, we need to get breakfast," said Murphy.

"Do you know how early it is?" asked Zoey.

Murphy looked at his watch and replied, "It's 5:00 in the morning. Come on get up."

Zoey got out of her sleeping bag. As she started to tie her shoes, she realized Murphy grabbed his AK and was going towards the door.

"What are you doing?" asked Zoey.

"What does it look like? I'm going to the Shop 4 Less store across the street to get some food," replied Murphy.

"But there's food in here, there's no need for the risk."

"Yeah, but it's not _real_ food. It'll take 15 minutes." Then Murphy placed his two hands on her shoulders, "Plus, do you really want to eat more of Coach's cooking?"

Even though the idea was crazy, she rolled her eyes and nodded her head, "Fine. But this better take 15 minutes."

"I promise," smiled the cowboy, "Now, let's try to leave as quietly as possible."

Murphy unlocked the door and opened it. Then the couple went out of the saferoom, closed the door behind them, and ran across the street to the grocery story. The store was still new to the area. Even though it's been four months since its first opening and it has survived the zombie apocalypse, this Wal-Mart branch off was still in stock and intact.

"Hold it," commanded Murphy.

"What?" asked Zoey, as she was about to open the glass sliding doors with a crowbar.

"The door has an alarm," warned the ranger. "It'll attract a horde."

"So what do we do?"

"Leave that me."

Soon enough, Murphy took out a screwdriver and a pair of wire cutters. He went to the security panel and prided it open with the screwdriver. He then cut a few wires.

"Now open it," said Murphy.

Zoey opened the doors and there was a sigh of relief from the duo.

"Let's go shopping," said the cowboy and the duo went inside.

They grabbed a shopping cart and started their stroll down the food aisles. First stop was the spice section. They picked up a bunch of spices. They then went to the bread section and picked up some bread and tortillas. Next stop was the meat section.

Murphy picked up a package of grounded beef, "3 months old and still isn't expired. How do they do it?" He threw it into the cart, along with some luncheon meat. After grabbing some eggs, they next made a quick trip to the snack isle.

"Why are we here?" asked Zoey, "Shouldn't snacks be our last priority?"

"Yeah, but I want to check something out," replied Murphy. After careful investigation, Murphy went into a fit of rage and knocked over all of the snacks. "Damnit!"

"What's wrong?" Zoey said in shock.

"I can't find any Twinkies, that's what! Every store I've been to, they had no Twinkies!" replied the cowboy. "My patience is running thin now!"

Zoey tried to calm him down. "How about snowballs?" said the girl as she lifted up the box of snowballs.

But Murphy simply slapped the box out of her hands, "I hate snowballs!" But then he looked down and a smile appeared on his face. Whether it was a packaging mistake or the power of God, but there inside the box was the golden sponge cake treasure Murphy desperately wanted. He picked up the box, gave a jolly laugher, and hugged Zoey. "I love you so much. You have the hands of Jesus."

Zoey, still in shellshock, hugged him back while replying, "I love you too."

Murphy then put the miracle Twinkies in the cart and pushed it to the checkout counter. They then bagged their food and headed out the door.

"Wait, there's one more thing," said Murphy.

"What, are we missing the Ding Dongs?" sarcastically asked Zoey.

"No," Murphy replied as he walked over to the sunglasses rack. "These." He put on a new pair of black shades.

"Ok, David Caruso," chuckled Zoey. "Now can we go?"

Murphy gave her a nod back and they made quick haste to make it into the saferoom before the others woke up, or worse, getting caught by a horde.

They made it to the saferoom safely and without waking the others. Murphy then started to make breakfast while Zoey started to make sandwiches for the road. Coach was the first to wake, as the smell of cooked beef and eggs made him hungry.

"Mmmm, that smells delicious," said the Coach, "what's you making there, son?"

"Breakfast Burritos, sir," replied Murphy as he added spices to the pot of beef.

"Breakfast Burritos, ain't had one them for a long time," yawned Ellis, as he was the second to wake up.

"Does it bring up any memories of Keith?" asked Murphy with a smirk.

"For the love of God, don't bring up Keith," pled Nick as he woke up. As he got up, he found the source of the cooking. "Alright, somebody besides Coach is cooking."

"Nick, I'm going to pound you," threaten Coach

But before Nick could counter, Rochelle woke up and intervened. "Can I wake up in the morning without any one of y'all arguing?"

"Hey guys, breakfast is almost ready," announced Murphy.

A few minutes later, breakfast was ready and everyone was eating Murphy's burritos.

"These are delicious," complimented Zoey.

"Good job, Murphy," raved Rochelle.

"They aren't that bad," admitted Nick.

"Seriously, man, you are the man," said Ellis.

Murphy was flattered by the attention and simply said, "Thank you."

"So Murphy, how did get so good at cooking?" asked the Coach, as he downed his third burrito.

"Well, during my spare time, when I'm not killing any zombies, I read; and I happened to read some cook books, and after some practice I perfected my cooking," replied Murphy.

"Interesting story," said the conman, "I wonder you can teach Coach here how to cook."

The Coach simply glared at Nick.

"After we finish up here, we're going on the road again," said Murphy.

"Gotcha," the group replied.

"And if we grow hungry," added Zoey, "I made sandwiches."

"I hope you made enough for Coach," said Nick.

Coach made another glare at him.

The group finished up and they grabbed their weapons and gear.

"Let's kill some sons of bitches," said the cocky redneck and the crew went out the door.

The survivors continue to hike towards Dallas. Nothing happened much as they trekked westward. Occasionally, they'll have a run in with the infected, but nothing too serious or hard. This led to boredom in the group, especially towards Nick. To solve this, he would do what he usually would do and have a heated exchange of words with a person. Recently, he's been pushing Murphy, but nothing seems bother the ranger. As he tries to figure out how to push his buttons, his trend of thought was interrupted by Ellis's rambling.

"Hey, did I ever tell you the time when Keith and I went hiking. It was when we were in boy scouts, before we got kicked out for burning down an entire campsite, anyways…"

"Can you just shut up for once, overalls?" interrupted Nick. "No one here wants to hear your god damn stories!"

Ellis's smile disappeared into a frown. In sympathy, Zoey went up to Ellis, patted him on the shoulder and replied, "I do."

"Your opinion doesn't count, bitch," countered Nick.

Zoey stopped and went into complete shock. "You shouldn't talk to a lady like that," defended Murphy as he reversed direction and headed towards Nick.

"Oh, so you're here to defend your woman," shot back Nick. He figured out his weak spot and it was his chance to expose it. "Yeah, I saw you two being all lovey dovey late night."

"That is none of your concern, Nick," stated Murphy.

"Nick, can you stop it?" asked Rochelle, but she was ignored.

"Oh, how you cried on her shoulder? For some big man, you are a wuss," mocked the conman.

"Yeah, I have feelings, unlike a total douche bag like yourself," shot back Murphy.

"Now, if it was your attempt to bang her, then hey good for you. I myself have used the waterworks to bag a couple of Hos. Is that the same way you bagged Michelle?"

All of sudden, an uncontrollable rage filled the ranger as he lifted the man by the collar, slammed him hard on to a pillar underneath a highway bridge, and drew his .45, placing the muzzle under the conman's jaw. The rest of the group gasped and tried to talk the gunman from shooting their friend, but their pleads were ignored.

Nick tried to play it cool but knew he entered into some dangerous waters. "Easy Blondie…"

"No," interrupted Murphy, "I can take the cowboy insults. I can take your negative attitude. But when you call me a swinger, when you insult somebody who I lost that meant a lot to me, it offends me and puts me in a mood where I have to kill that person." He pulled back the hammer of his handgun.

But then Zoey ran up to Murphy. "Murphy, he's not worth it. Please let him go and put away the gun." Murphy saw into her scared eyes the reflection for what he was doing. He put down the man and put away his pistol. He then gave Zoey hug and whispered to her, "I'm sorry." She merely replied, "Its ok." Then, they let go.

"We better continue," said Murphy. He then made a glare at Nick and added, "And if you dare to bring up Michelle, I will make sure you get see her. Same thing will happen if you call Zoey a bitch."

Nick merely gave him a nod. _"It's best if I stay away from him."_

As the heated anger faded away, enthusiasm electrified the group as Murphy found another battle zone where Zoey's group had last fought. "The bullets match your friends' guns and I found Bill's cigarette," stated Murphy as he investigated the gas station.

"Isn't it like dangerous to smoke at a gas station," added Ellis. "Because I remember this one time when Keith thought it would be a good idea to smoke while filling up his truck. Blew up the whole gas station while getting burns over 90 percent of his body…"

"Ellis, sweetie, this isn't the time," interrupted Rochelle.

"Ok," replied the Mechanic.

"Oh crap," stated Murphy.

The group was confused as the ranger ran to where there were a bunch of tire tracks. "This isn't good," stated the cowboy.

"What's wrong?" asked Zoey.

"They took a vehicle. They'll be in Dallas in no time," answered Murphy.

"But aren't the roads crowded with cars," added Coach. "There's no way they could go through that traffic."

"Unless it's a truck," rebuked Murphy as he pointed to the cargo freight that was once part of the 16 wheeler. "With that much steel, nothing can stop it. There's no way we can catch up to them unless…"

"Unless what, Murphy?" asked Rochelle.

"DART," answered Murphy.

"DART?" asked Ellis, "how is a needle going to help us? Unless of course you're talking about adrenalin."

"No, I'm referring the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system," replied Murphy. "More preferably the train system we have here. If we can activate one of the trains, we can ride ourselves to Dallas and meet up with Zoey's group. I know there's a station one mile north from here."

"So what are we waiting for, let's go!" pushed Coach.

So the group made rapid pace to the train station. The once busy hub where commuters would travel to and from Dallas was now an abandon train yard.

"Ok, I see the control room not far from here. Coach, Ro, and Nick, I want you to be on guard while Zoey, Ellis, and I try to activate one of the trains from inside that building," instructed Murphy.

Everyone complied with a "gotcha", except for Nick, who was quiet since their heated exchange.

Nick, Rochelle, and Coach took defensive positions as the other three went to the control room.

"Man, I haven't heard Nick say a word since you two had that fight," commented Ellis.

"I know, I kinda feel bad," replied Murphy as he started to pick the lock.

"Why should you?" asked Ellis, "I mean he did deserve it for the way he was talking about Zoey and your dead friend, no offence. Only if we met in Savannah, man, I wouldn't have to hear the man's insults."

"Ellis," Zoey added, "maybe it's not the time. He's kinda…stressed."

Ellis understood and went quiet.

"I got the door unlocked," said Murphy as he started to open the door. But then they heard a sound that made the trio wish they haven't unlocked that door: a witch's cry. "Shhhh…be quiet. Turn off your lights," instructed the ranger as he slowly opened the door while tightly grabbing hold of his machete. As the door was fully open, the three kids saw the sobbing woman. While the Zoey and Ellis showed fear, Murphy had no change in emotion, only tightening his grip on his machete, waiting for his time to strike.

"Got any ideas," whispered Ellis. Zoey merely shrugged while Murphy stared at his target. He then stood up and started to walk towards the frail looking woman. "Murphy, are you crazy?" whispered Ellis. "Get back here."

But the cowboy ignored his warnings. To him, it was just another zombie, another piece of scum, nothing that he should be afraid of. The witch noticed the crazy man walking towards her. She let out a growl, but the man continued to walk closer to her. Her growls grew louder and louder, but the man drew no fear. She then released a furious scream and charged her opponent. But the man quickly drew his brutally bladed weapon, screaming louder than the witch, and sliced her head off in one swift blow.

Ellis opened his eyes to see his comrade victorious. He then ran up to him and gave him a hug. "Don't you scare me like that again!" screamed the redneck. Murphy tried struggled out of the man's grip but it was no use. It wasn't until Zoey told Ellis to let go was he free from the man-child's hold.

"Thanks, Zoey," thanked the cowboy, only to get a slap by her.

"Don't you scare me like that again," cautioned Zoey.

He merely shrugged his shoulders then he went back to his original mission.

He got on one of the computers. Using the username and password on the sticky note on the monitor, Murphy was able to access the DART mainframe. It took the ranger five minutes to command one of the trains to come to their station.

"Alright guys, it should take five minutes until the train comes here. Hopefully, we won't have any problems," stated Murphy.

Just then, Coach came charging in the room. "A horde is coming this way," informed Coach.

"Perfect," replied Murphy. "Alright, everyone get outside. We need to hold up until the train arrives."

He then pulled out his AK47 and led crew to the waiting station. The infected were coming in with large numbers. The six survivors unloaded their weapons upon the legion of the undead.

"I'm reloading, someone cover me," stated Murphy.

All of a sudden, a smoker grabbed a hold the cowboy and started to pull him into undead riot.

"Somebody shoot the bastard," screamed Murphy.

He then heard a 3 round burst hitting the smoker causing it exploded into smoke. He sat up to see his savior.

"You own me one, Walker," Nick stated as he helped up Murphy.

Murphy merely nodded as he drew his Colt .45, killing the hunter that was about to pounce on Nick from behind. "We're even now," replied Murphy, and they both gave a smirked to each other.

The six survivors continued to make their defense on the train station.

"How long till that train arrives," complained Coach he started to use his ax against the infected.

"It should be coming here any second," stated Murphy, as he bayoneted a jockey that was about to jump him.

"It's here!" announced Zoey as she reloaded her duel pistols.

The white and yellow train came to a halt next to the survivors. Its doors opened up.

"Come on, guys, get inside before the doors shut," ordered Murphy. The group rushed into the train, with Murphy being the last one in. Another smoker attempted to snare the ranger, but Murphy was prepared and in a swift move, sliced the tongue before the door slammed. Murphy then rushed to the front on the train and took control of the train. As the train started to accelerate, the survivors watched the passing of the desperate zombies banging on the doors. As the train reached fast enough speeds, the group saw the infected attempting to chase to them, only eat their dust.

"This is your Captain speaking," announced Murphy through the microphone, "we have left Plano Parkway and we will be arriving in Dallas in 20 minutes. As soon as we arrive, the evac center will be two blocks south from the station. So please, relax and enjoy your ride on DART." Murphy then came back to cabin where his friends were relaxing.

Zoey ran up to Murphy, gave him a hug, then a kiss on the cheek. "We made. We made it because of you."

"Well, I don't deserve all the credit," Murphy modestly replied.

"Hey, I think we should celebrate," suggested Ellis.

"Actually, I'm kinda hungry," replied Coach. "I could go for a sandwich right now."

Zoey let go of Murphy and went to her bag. She then handed a sandwich to Coach.

Coach started to eat and replied, "Mmmm…this is a good sandwich. Hey, I should let you kids make the food."

"Hey, can I have a sandwich, too," asked Ellis.

Soon enough, everyone in the cart was eating Zoey's sandwiches. Murphy then got his Twinkies and started to hand those out at well.

"Well boys and girls," stated the ranger, "these are the last of the Twinkies on this earth. You all should eat them with pride."

"But what if we find another box of Twinkies?" asked Ellis.

"Just eat your Twinkie," replied Murphy.

After eating all of the food, the group still had 10 minutes before they were to arrive at their destination.

"So, does anyone know what we can do to kill ten minutes?" asked Zoey.

"I can tell a story," suggested Ellis.

"How about no," declined Nick.

"We can play I, Spy," said Coach.

"Yeah, I spy some black, blue, and red all over. That's right, that's going to be you if you give another bad idea," replied Nick. "Here's an idea, how about we play the silent game."

"Nick, you're no fun," stated Rochelle.

"Ha, it looks like you lost, Ro," said Ellis as he didn't take Nick's sarcasm, "Oh wait, I lost the game, too, damn it. Oh and just lost that game too, double damn it."

There was a long silence until they heard Murphy mumbling something, _"We're no strangers to love, you know the rules and so do I."_

"I think I heard that song before," said the Coach.

Zoey recognized the song and added on, _"A full commitment's what I'm thinking of, you wouldn't get this from any other guy."_

Ellis then joined in, _"I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling, gotta make you understand…"_

Then Coach started to sing along, _"Never gonna give you up…"_

"NO!" screamed Nick. "We are not singing, especially that song."

"What's wrong Nick, got Rick Rolled too many times by clicking on too many fake porn links," mocked Zoey.

"No…I just don't want this train to be filled with a bunch of American Idol wannabes," replied Nick.

"I bet it's because you can't sing," said Ellis.

"I can sing," shot back Nick, "I just don't like singing in public or when I'm sober."

"Come-on Nick, show us your singing talent," egged Rochelle.

"Unless I get a bottle of scotch, no," declined Nick.

"Rochelle is right, you aren't fun," Zoey said.

The train went into silence again. Even though he didn't mind being a buzz kill, Nick felt some guilt for not participating in the group. Yeah, they were annoying but they've been somewhat like a family towards him. Despite the shit he says about them, they still would go worlds-end to save him. _"I'm going to hate myself for doing this."_

Nick then opened his mouth and sang, _"We've known each other for so long."_

Murphy joined the conman, _"Your heart's been aching but you're too shy to say it."_

Rochelle came in, _"Inside we both know what's been going on, we know the game and we're gonna play it."_

Then Coach added his voice, _"Annnnnd if you ask me how I'm feeling, don't tell me you're too blind to see…"_

Then everyone started to sing, _"Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you, never gonna make you cry, never gonna say goodbye, never gonna tell a lie and hurt you."_

"See Nick, that wasn't too bad," said Rochelle.

"I guess," replied Nick, "but if you tell anyone, I'll kill you."

"Don't worry, Nick, there isn't really any else to tell anyways," stated Ellis.

"Alright guys, we should be arriving to our station very shortly," informed Murphy.

The train finally made its stop. As the doors opened, the six sat foot onto the city. The streets were littered with cars, trash, and dead bodies. The once magnificent tall buildings were now run down. It felt like a concrete, steel jungle.

"Alright guys, we're almost at home base," stated Murphy, "let's go."

The group went south down the eerie street. Immediately, Murphy found an oddity in the scene as he pointed at a crashed truck. He ran to investigate the wreckage, his comrades followed. As Murphy asset the damage, Zoey felt like there was a dumbbell in her stomach. There was a huge dent in the driver's side of the vehicle, mostly caused by a tank. There was blood around area. Lastly, Murphy found Bill's Beret. He gave it to Zoey, but this made her cry. After a carefully examination, Murphy made his conclusion.

"Although the damage looks severe," said Murphy, "they are alive."

Zoey gasped in disbelief. "What makes you say that?"

"Well," he explained, "the passenger door is open, and since I don't see their bodies, they did escape. The blood trail does lead into that building. So, if I'm right, they should be in there."

"Great, we know where there are. Can we drop the kid off and go to the evac center?" asked Nick.

"We can't. Even if they're alive, one of them is wounded and they need our help," replied Murphy.

"The kid is right, Nick," added Coach. "We need to help them."

"Fine," replied Nick, "we'll go find them and save the day."

"Follow me," ordered Murphy and the survivors followed the ranger into the building.

They entered what appeared to be a lobby of a 5-Star hotel. There was a grand staircase in the middle of it and in the center of the room was a dead tank.

"At least we don't have to deal with the tank," stated Ellis.

"Dang this place is huge," said Coach, "where do we even start?"

"Well, I can tell you we're not going upstairs. Bill has trouble with stairs," informed Zoey

"Well, that leaves us to the ground floor, huh," replied Nick.

"Alright, we'll split up. Coach and Ellis, you guys check the south end of the building. Ro and Nick, you check the north side. Zoey and I will check west side. Check back here in 15 minutes if you haven't found anything," instructed Murphy. "And guys, stay frosty, I hear witch." He tightened his grip on his machete.

The group split up and went exploring in their designated areas. As Zoey and Murphy went further west, the crying got louder.

"It looks like the witch on side," stated Murphy.

"Yeah, how lucky are we," sarcastically replied Zoey.

"I'll check 1st conference room, you check the 2nd," instructed Murphy.

"Ok," Zoey replied and the duo split up.

Zoey opened up the door. As she opened the door, she could hear the crying was in there. She stopped. _"The witch was in there, I shouldn't open the door. But, it could in the other room. I mean, you know how thin the walls are. Besides, I should check." _So, she fully opened the door. She saw that the witch wasn't in the room. She walked inside. What Zoey didn't know was that the witch was by the door the whole time. As she stepped in the room, she startled it. The witch tackled Zoey to ground. She was defenseless and she knew she was going to get shredded by its long razor sharp claws.

Suddenly, the wall burst open as Murphy tackled the witch to the ground. He then hacked her into pieces with his machete, screaming, "You shall not harm her you son of a bitch!" Even though the witch was clearly dead, he continued hacking away at the bloody corpse. Zoey got up and grabbed his arm, trying to stop him.

"Murphy, Its dead, IT'S DEAD!" she screamed.

The ranger stopped and dropped his machete. He then looked at his hands. "What have I become?" he asked himself.

Zoey then wrapped her arms around Murphy, whispering to him, "Everything is going to be ok."

"I want to think that way," Murphy said, "but each day, it seems like I'm becoming more like those monsters, but without the physical transformations. My outburst with Nick, my hatred towards witches…"

"But you only did those things because you have great care towards me and towards others," argued Zoey, "You're not like them."

"But…"

"Austin Murphy, you aren't a monster. You're human. We all have anger. I mean I get angry at times. We all cry, we all have feelings of love, we have our happy times…you don't need to get upset about yourself."

"I know it's just when I lose control, I…I…"

Zoey pushed Murphy's head closer towards her, "I love you and I find it sweet that you protect me and no matter what you do, I'm still going to fall you."

Murphy then gave her a smile. "I love you, too. "

Their heads came closer together until they locked lips. Their kiss was like their first kiss, only better. The two were happy together and it seemed like nothing could ruin the moment.

"Zoey, is that you!" screamed a familiar voice.

The two quickly unlocked lips as they looked around where the voice was coming from.

"That sounded like…" but before Zoey could finish her sentence, she saw at the doorway was a black business man and a big biker guy.


	5. Finale

**Chapter Four: Finale **

Zoey promptly got up and ran to give her lost long friends a hug. "Francis! Louis! I'm so glad you're alive!" cried Zoey, "I thought I would never see you guys again."

"We missed you too, Zoey," replied Louis as he started to hug Zoey. Francis was however distracted by the other man in the room.

"Who the hell is this punk?" asked Francis as he pointed his finger at Murphy.

"That's Austin Murphy," answered Zoey.

"So, this was the guy that kidnapped you and now trying to hurt you," said Francis as he started to run up to Murphy, ready to hit him.

"Francis, No!" screamed Zoey and Louis. But their voices were futile as Francis sucker punched the ranger in the face, causing his sunglasses to fly off.

Zoey and Francis ran up to Francis, restraining him from hitting the kid again. Murphy simply picked up his shades, stood back up, and scratched his chin like if nothing had hit him.

"Francis, he saved me. You shouldn't be hitting him," told Zoey.

"But we heard you screaming," Explained Francis "and I saw this creep on you…"

"Francis, I was screaming at a witch and Murphy saved me from it," replied Zoey. "Murphy, are you ok?"

"I'll be fine, he kinda punches like a girl," mocked Murphy.

"Why you!" screamed Francis but Zoey and Louis continued to restrain the biker.

"Calm down big guy, calm down," said Louis as he tried to ease his friend down. "He means us no harm. I mean look at the bright side because of Murphy, we have Zoey back, right."

The biker finally calmed down and replied, "I guess you're right, Mr. Positive." His two friends then let go of him and Francis offered his hand to Murphy. The two men shook and Francis apologized. "I'm sorry for beating you up. It was a huge misunderstanding. Any friend of Zoey's is a friend of mine."

Murphy merely gave him the look of confusion, for Francis never really beat up him, but nevertheless accepted the apology. "It's ok."

Their hands departed then Francis went on. "Yeah, and I had the strangest feeling that you two were making out."

"Actually," said Zoey and Murphy as they both shrugged and scratched their heads.

"You son of a bitch," blurred Francis.

Zoey and Louis tried to stop Francis, but they couldn't stop him. However, Murphy was ready and he roundhouse kicked Francis in the face, causing him to drop hard on the ground. Francis was winded as Zoey and Louis helped their fallen comrade to a chair.

"Why is the room spinning?" asked Francis as effects of the concussion were kicking in.

"And we thought having one man down was bad enough," stated Louis.

"Something wrong with Bill?" gasped Zoey.

"Yeah, he's hurt real bad," replied Louis. "The crash gave him a huge laceration on his leg. He's bleeding very heavy. We would treat it, but we have no med kits."

"I could give assistance," offered Murphy. "Where is he?"

"He's in the gym, it's just down this hallway," informed Louis.

"Let's go then," replied Murphy.

"I'll stay here," insisted Zoey as she started to place her hands on Francis's head, "Francis is banged up."

"Will you be fine?" asked Murphy.

"Yes, I will," answered Zoey.

Then Francis started to ramble about something. "Hey Zoey, did I ever tell you that I love vests."

Louis and Murphy ran out and headed towards the gym. Along the way, they met the other four survivors. "Hey Murphy," greeted Ellis, "oh, it looks like you found Zoey's group."

"No time Ellis," replied Murphy. "Go get some ice and bring it to the 2nd conference room, and then meet us in the gym."

"Why?" asked Nick.

"Just do it!" screamed Murphy as he and Louis ran down the hallway.

The ranger and the manager made it to the gym to find the wounded veteran barely alive. The floor was covered in blood where Bill simply laid, next to the treadmill. Murphy knelt down next to the old man, staring at his name "Overbeck", as the name sounded familiar. He then pulled out his first aid kit.

"You're going to be alright, sir," said Murphy as tore off the man's pant, revealing the brutal wound. He then got a needle and thread and started to stitch the cut together. The veteran let out gaps of pain as the needle kept coming in and out. Murphy then washed the wound and covered it with medical tape. "There, the bleeding should of stop," assured Murphy, "but we are still going to need to get you to a real doctor because that's merely a patch up."

Bill slowly got up. He was weak from the lost of blood but if his wound was left unattended for a few more minutes, Bill would have died. He finally stood up; a little limped, but still standing. He then shook his savor's hand. "Thank you…umm,"

"Austin," greeted the ranger, "Austin Murphy."

"Thank you for patching up my wound, Murphy," thanked the vet. Then, Zoey entered the room. "And thank you for watching over her," whispered Bill.

Zoey gave the old man a hug. "I'm so happy you're still alive," cried Zoey.

"Hey, don't crush me, kid. I'm kinda frail you know," chuckled Bill. "But I'm glad you're in one piece."

Just then, Francis, who was being carried by Coach and Ellis, ran towards the old man and he too gave him a hug. "I love you too, old man," said the biker.

"Did something hit Francis in the head?" asked Bill, who was getting crushed by Francis.

"Actually," answered Murphy, "I kicked him in the head in self-defense, sir."

"Yup," added Coach, "but I think he should be fine."

"He better," replied Bill as the biker let go of him.

"Yeah, that kinda reminds me of the time when Keith got hit in the head with a frying pan from his ma, and he thought was like superman, or some superhero like that, and he doing some crazy shit and stuff," rambled Ellis.

"It's not the time, Ellis," interrupted Nick as he and Rochelle entered the room.

"So, the whole gang is here, huh," stated Louis.

"Yup," replied Coach. "And I'm glad you guys are still in one piece."

"Sorry if I am intruding on our little reunion," said Nick, "but we need to get to that evac site."

"Nick is right," agreed Murphy. "Bill, you think you can walk?"

"I survived bigger injuries than this, kid," replied Bill as he picked up his M16, "I'll be fine."

"I have an announcement," announced Francis in a drunken-like state, "I love you all. Well, except you Mr. Walker Texas Ranger because you kicked me in the head."

"Is there any way you can turn him back to normal?" sarcastically asked Bill. "Maybe like, hitting him in the head again?"

Then Zoey came up to Francis and smacked the end of her pistol at his head.

"Ow, why did you do that, Zoey?" growled Francis as he rubbed his head. "I hate this place. Can we leave now?"

"He's back," said Zoey.

The group of nine then grabbed their weapons and equipment and headed towards the evac zone, which was two blocks away. They were in front of a TX Union Office Building, a 20-story skyscraper that once employed over 500 Texans in the insurance business, now only employs the dead. They entered the lobby of the building, which harbored around 40 infected. The team quickly took out the hostile threat.

"Let's go," led on the ranger.

"We can take that elevator," suggested Coach.

"I hate elevators," ranted Francis

"Well, if you want to walk 20 flights of stairs, be my guest, Francis," remarked Bill. "Otherwise, just shut up."

"I'm just saying what happened the last time at that hospital," replied Francis.

"Hopefully, it won't happen again," assured Louis.

"Besides, I'm not walking up 20 goddamn flights of stairs on this busted knee," added Coach.

"Same here," agreed Bill.

"I bet you would if the helicopter was made out of chocolate," joked Nick. Coach and Bill replied with a glare.

"Come on guys, to the elevator," ordered Murphy.

The survivors walked over to the elevator. Murphy pressed the button to call the elevator. They heard the lift going down as they heard beeps.

"See, nothing is going to happen," said Louis.

Suddenly, the elevator stopped and an alarm was activated.

"Ah, what the hell?" complained Louis as they heard a horde screaming, "This is some bullshit."

"I told you this would happen," bragged Francis, "and this is why I hate elevators."

"Would you just shut up and just shoot," ordered Bill as the zombie horde came rushing in.

"Why is this happening?" asked Zoey as she pulled her pistols out and started to shoot into the crowd.

"Maybe God hates us," sarcastically replied Nick as he bagged a smoker with his SCAR.

"Must be a circuiting problem," explained Murphy as he knelt and opened up an electrical panel. "Can you cover me while I fix it?"

"We can most certainly do," replied Ellis as he blasted the infected with his SPAZ-12.

The crew covered ranger. Francis clubbed a hunter with his shotgun, and then shot it in the head. A jockey tried to ride Rochelle, only to get denied by Louis's AK. A charger was about to charge Ellis but blocked by Nick. Then a smoker tried to smoke Zoey, only to get tongue tried by Bill's M16.

"Almost there," announced Murphy. Then, the elevator was started to beep. "I got it, ha ha, I got it!" Then he pulled his AK and joined the battle, shooting a spitter from a far and 15 infected.

The elevator finally reached the elevator and the gang quickly went entered as the doors opened. Then Rochelle shut the doors while Murphy and Bill provided supporting fire. The group relaxed as the doors slammed and felt the upward motion of the elevator.

"Woot, I'm glad we made it," Rochelle said.

"We still need to find a way to the roof," replied Bill.

"Still, I got to say, nice save out there, Murphy," complimented Louis.

"Couldn't of done it without all y'all," replied Murphy. His expression soon changed to worry. Something was running in his mind.

"What's wrong, Murphy?" asked Zoey.

"Nothing," answered Murphy as he tried to fake a smile.

"But you looked worry," replied Zoey as she got closer to Murphy.

Suddenly, the elevator shook and stopped.

"Oh, what now?" grunted Francis.

"The elevator broke down, again," answered Nick.

"Well this isn't good," stated Rochelle.

"No shit," added Bill

"Does anyone know what floor we're on?" asked Louis.

"I believe we're on the 16th floor," answered Murphy, "Zoey, hand me your crowbar, I'm going to pry the doors open." Murphy grabbed Zoey's crowbar and started to open the elevator doors. The doors revealed a room full of cubicles, dead bodies, and a witch's cry.

"Shut your lights," ordered Coach. "There's a witch around."

"That isn't the only thing we should worry about," added Murphy as they heard several grunts.

Just then, a tank popped out of nowhere and went into rage.

"Tank!" shouted Ellis.

The group opened fire on the monster and the tank charged at the group.

"Split up," ordered Bill and the group spilt up, running all around the cubicles while shooting at the tank.

Murphy, Ellis, and Louis ran into an office, only to startle the witch.

"Shit!" screamed Ellis and Louis as they saw those red demon eyes charging at them.

Murphy got in front of the two and went to shove the witch away. The witch got a hold of Murphy's AK and started to push back the ranger. However, Murphy let out a loud scream and started to push the witch back. He then smacked the witch's face with the butt of rifle and bayoneted her in the gut. The witch still tried to reach for the ranger, but Murphy was too strong. Murphy fired his rifle into her, but even after finishing the clip, she still wasn't going down. So, Murphy pushed her out of the window. He listen her scream echo in the city street while reloading his rifle. The scream stopped when he heard a crack.

"Now that was badass," stated Louis.

"I know, he's like a witch hunter," added Ellis.

Just then they heard Zoey's scream.

"Zoey!" shouted Murphy as he slinged his rifle around his shoulder, pulled his katana out, and came charging to the sound of the noise.

Zoey, Bill, and Francis were trapped. The tank was in front and the wall was behind them. They have run out of ammo and cornered.

"This is going to hell in a hand basket real fast," said Bill throwing his M16 to the side and pulling out a machete.

"Murphy, help!" cried Zoey.

"Yes, help Mr. Cowboy," mocked Francis.

Suddenly, a blade came thrusting through the tank's throat, as the Murphy struck his sword through the beast's spinal cord. The tank fell over with the ranger standing on top of the corpse. Ellis and Louis came out from behind. As the ranger pulled out his katana and sheathed it, Zoey ran over and hugged Murphy.

"I knew you would come," said Zoey.

"Nice job, son," added Bill

"I could have done that," moaned Francis.

"All you could manage to do shove your head up your own ass," mocked Bill.

"Don't make me lay you out, old man," shot back Francis.

"I would like to see you try."

Ellis then intervened between the two men, "I know you two guys are fighting and whatnot, but did any of you all see where Coach, Nick, or Rochelle went."

Just then Coach, Nick, and Rochelle came up to the group of six. "Sorry we kinda bailed on you guys back there," stated Rochelle. "But we did find the stair case."

"Great," Bill sarcastically said, "more stairs."

"They're your favorite after all," joked Zoey.

"I hate stairs," ranted Francis.

"Don't we all," replied Nick.

"By any chance can you give us some ammo?" asked Bill.

Ellis gave Francis some 12 gauge shells, Nick gave Bill some 5.56 ammo, and Murphy gave Zoey some 7.62 rounds and some .45 rounds. They then reloaded their weapons.

"Alright, let's go," directed Murphy.

The group of nine went to stairs and started to run up them. They encountered a few infected lingering in the way. But Murphy fired his AK at the undead foes. Even when he ran out of ammo in his clip, he still meleed them using the bayonet to stab them and butt to club them. Eventually, he had to slow down for Coach and Bill were getting tried.

"Come on guys," motivated Louis, "just 2 more flight of stairs. After all, think how much of a workout this is?"

"Louis, we've been running from zombies for three months. I think we've gotten a good enough workout by now," replied Bill.

"You guys can go ahead of us," said Coach, "We'll catch up."

Murphy, Zoey, Ellis, and Francis decided to go off ahead while the rest lagged behind. When they finally got to the roof door, Murphy replaced his AK with his Henry and kicked opened the door. He fired one shot and killed an infected. He fired another one and got a headshot. He fired until he ran out of ammo in his rifle. Then he threw a pipebomb, causing the remaining zombies to chase it. Those poor souls were blown into pieces. By the time the rest of the gang got up, the rooftop was already cleared.

The sun was starting to set and was getting dark. Not only that, but fog has also kicked in, making hard to see. As the team explored the rooftop, they found a radio, several guns, medical supplies, and lots of ammo. While the team was all excited that they were going to make it, Murphy was again nervous.

"So what's the plan?" asked Louis as he grabbed some pills. "I don't hear anyone from that radio."

"That's because they aren't near enough yet," explained Murphy. "Don't worry, they will be here. Now, can someone hand me a pipebomb?" Replying to the strange request, Ellis spared his pipebomb to the ranger. Murphy then ripped the fire alarm off of the bomb and taped it on his arm.

"Hey man, what are you doing?" nervously asked Ellis.

"I going to try to lure the horde as far away as possible," replied Murphy. "It will bide you enough time for you guys to escape."

"But you don't have to this, Murphy," contested Zoey. "It's suicide."

"I know that," replied Murphy as he faced the group. "I would rather have you guys safely get out of here, than to see anyone of you get hurt. Besides, there are others out there that need my help."

"But we can handle it, soldier," argued Bill, "This isn't the first time that this has happen to us. You don't have to be a hero."

"Besides, who else is there to save in this city?" added Nick. "If you want to help others, you would go off with us."

"But I simply can't!" protested Murphy. He then turned his back to the group and started to talk low, like if he was specifically speaking to Zoey. "This is why I try to live in isolation. I help people, and then I move on. By developing an emotional connection, I become distracted, and if I happen to lose that person, or they lose me, it creates a burden. I'm sorry that I let out my feelings towards you. I really do care about you, but this is divine duty, my curse, and I must live with it."

Zoey then absorbed what the ranger had said, only to reply calmly, "I thought I loved you, I thought you were an honorable man, but now I'm not sure to even think of you like that." She then walked off and started to cry silently.

The radio suddenly crackled and a voice blurred out, "This is callsign, Sea Goblin, reporting in. Are there any survivors at Checkpoint Alpha, over?"

The group was silent and they were unwilling to call out to the pilot. Finally, Murphy went up and said, "I'll get the call."

But just before he picked up the radio, Murphy felt a big hand on his shoulder. It was Francis. "We need to talk, buddy," he said in a low, but agitated voice. Murphy decided to ignore the radio and listen to whatever this biker was going to say. "I know we have our disagreements and I am more than happy to see you get mauled to death by a bunch of vampires." Its zombies thought Murphy. "But this isn't the right action for you. I mean, even though I never have said this out loud, but I think you are pretty badass."

Murphy's eye opened as he heard Francis say this. Was he opening up? "Really?" he asked.

"Well sure," answered Francis. "Zoey told me how you guys escaped from hordes of vampires on motorcycle while dodging parked cars. That is pretty groovy, and coming from another biker, you are the biggest badass next to me." Murphy smiled but the biker continued off. "You're also making another huge mistake by leaving Zoey. I mean come on. She is hot but she can also kick ass. And you know, she really likes you, and I know you really like her. By giving up on her would be like me burning my own vest. Even though I was against it because of my own feelings, I feel now you two would make a perfect couple. You need to like stop living in the past, dude, and start living in the present and start having a future." Francis then walked off to the other survivors.

Francis was right. Murphy has been stuck in the past for so long, that he needs to move on. There are others out there to save, and by staying here, he's not living up to his code. Besides, these guys were his friends. No, they weren't his friends but his family, a dysfunctional family, but family nevertheless. In the past 3 days, he realized why company was important. And Zoey, she was beautiful. He really loved her and by leaving her, not only his heart would be broken but her heart as well.

His thinking was interfered by the crackling of the pilot. "This is Sea Goblin! Is there anybody at the evac site?!"

Murphy picked up the radio and replied, "This is callsign Ranger and there are survivors here who need pick up."

"There are survivors?! Alright, it looks like Austin Murphy saved another couple," cheered the pilot. "How many survivors are up there?"

"We got nine survivors up here, Sea Goblin," answered Murphy. The group gasped as they couldn't believe that Murphy changed his mind.

"Wow, that is a huge batch, but we can most certainly fit," replied the pilot. "Alright, we're heading to your position. However, the fog isn't helping much in visibility. We need you to help light up that building. Now, lighting up the building is going to attract a horde, but there should be a mounted gun, as well as plenty of weapons and ammo to fight off those zombies. As soon as you are ready, just give us a call."

"Thanks a lot, Sea Goblin," thanked Murphy.

"Same here," replied the pilot. "By the way, you're voice sounds kinda familiar."

"Yeah, so does yours. Anyways, we need to get ready. Ranger, out."

Murphy stepped away from the radio and walked over to the comrades.

"Alright guys, change in plans," announced Murphy, "I'm staying with you guys." He then ripped the alarm off his arm and threw it on the ground as his friends started to cheer.

"I knew you wouldn't leave us," said Ellis.

"Yeah, now we have a standing chance," said Louis.

Zoey came over to Murphy, and hugged him, resting her head on his body. "I'm glad you are staying."

"I don't want to leave your side," whispered Murphy then they separated.

"So, what's the plan?" asked Nick.

"Well, this fog is causing trouble for the Calvary," explained Murphy, "so we are going to need to light up the building so the copter can see us. This of course is going to attract every zombie in this city toward our position. So, everyone is going to need to load up. Hey, where's Ellis?"

The group was confused because their redneck friend has wondered off.

"I don't know where he went," told Rochelle.

"Don't look at me;" said Nick, "I'm not the kid's babysitter."

But the question of his whereabouts was answered when he shouted, "Hey guys, I found the machine gun here. I also found a bunch of other goodies too."

The group ran where Ellis was. The saw the mounted .50 caliber machine gun, but they found a lot more weapons, including a M60, and a bunch of ammo. There were a bunch gas tanks and a bag full of flares. Lastly, there was a sound system, another radio, and the power box.

Francis picked up the M60. "Now this is a gun."

"Definitely fits you, pig," joked Bill.

"This looks like a good place to take a stand," commented Murphy. "Alright, this is how we're going to roll. We're going to place explosives where ever the highest concentration of zombies will be rushing us. Rochelle and Zoey, since you two have sniper rifles, you are going to stay back and pick off any infected coming towards us. Primarily, you should target special infected, including smokers and spitters. Coach, I want you on the machine gun giving covering fire, while Bill and Francis cover you. Lastly, Ellis, Nick, Louis, and I will be in the front line. As soon we are ready, I'll contact the pilot and light up the night. Do we have a plan?"

The group nodded in agreement and the crew started to prepare for their defense. Zoey walked up to Francis, who was setting up a propane tank near the door.

"So, what did you say to convince Murphy to stay?" asked the curious teen.

"Well, I told him I was going to kill him if he didn't come along with us, and the kid gave in," answered Francis.

Zoey laughed and came close to the biker. "Thank you."

"No problem, kid," replied Francis.

Then the two friends walked back to their standoff area where the rest of the group was.

"Hey Murphy, just wondering," said Ellis, "when we are fighting these zombies, can we play some music? I mean, we have these stereos right here, I don't want them to go to waste."

"What's in the jukebox?" asked Murphy.

Coach went over to the stereo and looked at the song title. "Holy shit, it's Won't Get Fooled Again by the Who. I love the Who!"

"I hate the Who," countered Francis.

"Well, you better like them now because the Who is saving our asses," replied Coach.

"But wouldn't the noise attract more zombies?" asked Nick.

"We're going to attract a horde anyways," stated Murphy as he pulled out his sunglasses. "So I say lets rock some zombies' heads off." He put his sunglasses on and the team was ready for their final fight.

Murphy then grabbed the radio and said, "Sea Goblin, we're ready for pick up."

"Good, it'll take ten minutes until we arrive. Light us the way," replied the pilot.

Murphy then signaled Bill to turn on the power, turning on all of the lights in the skyscraper. Ellis then hit the music, and the keyboard intro of the Who started to play. The crew heard the horde charging and they waited till they saw the yellow glow of their eyes. Rochelle took careful aim and shot a gas tank, causing a wall of fire to engulf the wave of infected. Coach then fired the .50 cal machine gun, shredding more zombies. Soon enough, everyone was firing at the undead. The common infected provided no challenge to the nine. However, the special infected started to appear. A smoker lingered on top of the air duct. However, Zoey picked off the tall monster and it puffed up in smoke. A charger went charging towards the group, but Coach's .50 cal and Francis's M60 was too much for the one arm monster. A hunter tried to pounce on the gunner, but it faced Bill's M16. A jockey tried to ride Louis, only to get a lot of buckshot in its face from Ellis. Then a spitter attempted to scatter the squad with her acidic spit, but Murphy's AK downed her into a puddle of green goo. Boomer then attempted to puke on Nick's nice suit, but Rochelle fired another shot down range, causing the fat zombie to explode in guts and bile. Soon enough, a second wave of zombies attempted break down the survivors' lines, but accurate shots from Rochelle and Zoey broke up the lines of the undead soldiers, as the explosives put in place blew the infected into pieces. Soon enough, their first tank arrived to the battle. Despite its strength, size, and rage, the group concentrated all of its firepower on the steroid up monster. The tank couldn't handle the firepower of that magnitude and collapse in a mere 15 seconds.

The radio started to scratch, "5 minutes till we arrive. Keep up the fight."

"You heard the man!" shouted Murphy as he reloaded his assault rifle, "We're half way there!"

Zoey was reloading her Mini 14 only to get smoked by a smoker. Her rifle dropped on the ground as she panicked.

"Smoker got me!" informed Zoey as she was getting dragged away into the zombie horde. She heard the sounds of an AK47 and she free from the slimy tongue of the smoker. It was Murphy who saved her, as he ran up to the girl and lifted her up from the ground.

"Alright, how about you stay with me and I'll protect you?" offered the cowboy with a smile.

Zoey gave him a smile, back. Then Murphy gave her his AK47, as he pulled out his Henry Rifle. The duo went back to back together as they fired upon the wave of the undead army. Zoey protected Murphy from a pouncing hunter, and Murphy prevented a jockey from head humping Zoey. After Murphy ran out of rounds in his rifle, he pulled out his katana and machete and started cut into the crowd of infected while still protecting Zoey. Then, a charger charged towards the duo, but Murphy was too quick, dodged the rushing beast and backstabbed the large-arm monster with his cold, sharp blades. The couple continued to make their standoff in the middle of the battlefield.

"Two minutes till we arrive! Two minutes!" screamed the radio.

"Hey, we should set up those flares," suggested Nick as he fired his SCAR into the horde.

Bill nodded from a far and reached for the flare bag. He then lit a few flares and placed the green flames around their trenched battlement. Meanwhile, Zoey and Murphy continued to fight side by side against the horde. Suddenly, the two heard the rumblings of tank.

"That's not good," said Zoey.

"Hold on, guys, I'll help you!" shouted Coach as he pivoted the machine gun towards the direction of the tank. However, a spitter was able to sneak past and spat her acid at Coach. Coach quickly dodged the hot spit and shot her with a M16, but the acid damaged the gun, making the gun useless. "Shit."

The tank came closer to the duo, but ranger charged the monster, switching out his machete with a grenade. He ducked the tank's punch and barrel rolled to his back. Murphy then stabbed the tank with his sword, while rocking the sword's blade back and forth, creating a hole. The ranger then pulled the pin of the grenade, stuck it in the hole, and allowed the monster to punch him. Murphy landed on his feet and watched the tank explode in two.

"Tanks a lot," smirked the ranger. But when we fixed his eyes on Zoey, a hunter pounced on her and started to savagely beat her on her back. "No!" shouted the cowboy as he pulled out his .45 and started to fire at the hooded beast. The hunter was slayed but Zoey badly injured. She was bleeding everywhere and she was losing conscious. "No, don't die on me," he said as he picked up Zoey.

Just then, he heard another tank rushing toward him. He picked up his AK47 and pointed it towards the monster. "Come on, you son of a bitch, come and get us," taunted the ranger. But then he heard the crackle of a .50 caliber round and the beating of helicopter blades, as the tank fell to the ground with his exploding to a fountain of blood.

Murphy looked from behind to see a Blackhawk helicopter hovering next to the building. His rescuer was wearing a green jumpsuit and a black gator. He was armed with a Barret M82 .50 caliber sniper rifle. He screamed with a familiar Texan accent, "Come y'all, you need to get to the chopper." He fired more rounds into the horde, picking off anyone coming towards the Murphy and Zoey. While the rest of the group went into the Blackhawk, Ellis and Francis ran out to help Murphy and Zoey. Murphy picked up Zoey while Francis and Ellis provided cover. The four got to the copter, while another soldier dressed in ACUs, masked in a gator, and armed with a M249 SAW machine gun provided covering fire. The helicopter flew off and away.

They placed Zoey on the ground. They stripped her as they tried to treat her wounds. Blood was running on the floor now as the two mysterious soldiers tried everything to stop the bleeding. They snitched up the lacerations, the patched up the wounds, and gave her injections, but they were still losing her. She soon stopped breathing and the soldiers got a defibrillator and started to zap her heart to work. But she still wasn't getting. Soon enough, the soldiers gave up and the group started to burst into tears.

However, Murphy remained calm and went over to her corpse. He knelt over her and lifted her head up to his. He whispered, "I know you're not dead. Why? Because I know you can't die. I was told that would meet a girl, a girl who's tough and brave. She would fight by my side and would complete me. And that partner would be you." He then drew his head closer. "I love you, Zoey. It would be honor to live by your side forever. But you have to get up." He then kissed the girl. Strangely enough, her heart started to beat and she started to breathe. This startled everyone in the copter. It was like a fairytale or some cheesy story. Her eyes blinked and she finally was able to stare into her lover's eyes.

"You have the lips of God," said Zoey.

Murphy gave a smirk and asked, "How was heaven?"

"Whenever we lock lips, it's like heaven, Murphy."

Then they locked lips again, but they were interrupted by soldier with the Texan accent. "Wait a minute, are you Austin Murphy?"

"Yes I am," answered Murphy.

"Holy shit, I can't believe it," replied the fellow Texan. "I thought you died…but the rumors were true and you survived. Although, I hope you haven't forgotten about me"

"Wait a minute, you died, Murphy?" asked Ellis as he was confused, "And you're voice sounds off- lee familiar there, minster."

"Yeah, I think I heard your voice somewhere," added Rochelle.

"Oh. I'm sorry that I haven't introduced myself properly, although, you all will be shocked," said the man as pulled his mask down to reveal his face of a man in his fifties. "Remember me, Murphy."

With exception of Murphy who said his first name, the rest of the survivors called him by his last name, "Bush!?"

"Wait a minute," said Nick, "we're we just rescued by the former president."

"Well," replied Bush, "I don't deserve all of the credit. Cpt. Murphy and Sgt. Murphy deserve an equal share."

Everyone was confused, except for Murphy as who simply replied, "So wait a minute, George, are you saying my brothers are here."

"Yeah, Austin," said the sergeant who was taking off his gator and revealing his face to his younger brother. "Or, I may say Thomas."

"Thomas?" gasped the survivors.

"Ok, I am shocked," replied Louis. "Apparently, you're first name is Thomas, you have family, and you somehow know Bush. I need an explanation in what's going on."

"I think we all need an explanation," added Bill.

Murphy gave a sigh then started to explain everything to his new friends, "Alright, my full real name is Thomas Austin Murphy. I dropped the Thomas because I thought Austin Murphy just sounded cool. The sergeant is my oldest brother, Stephen, and the pilot is my second older brother, John. And I know George here because I actually rescued him and he was part of my survivor team."

"Well, that kinda explains a lot," replied Ellis. "But what's with you being dead part, Austin."

"Well, I fell from a 20 story building," answered Murphy "but I survived."

"Holy shit dude, that reminds me of the time when Keith and I…" rambled Ellis.

"Ugh, he's never going to shut up now," grunted Nick.

"That's Ellis for you, honey," replied Rochelle with a smirk.

Then Zoey and Murphy got a proper seat together. "So, looks like we made it," said Zoey, "and it's nice that I get to meet some of your family."

"Yeah, it is nice," replied Murphy.

"So, this is your girlfriend," stated Stephen then directed his attention to Zoey. "I'm Stephen. I'm his oldest brother."

"Nice to meet you," greeted Zoey.

"Yeah, just be careful him. He is an evil one," joked Stephen.

"Right, I'll be careful," replied Zoey, who then directed her attention to Murphy. "So, are you ever going to miss Dallas?"

Murphy went silent, then he replied, "Somewhat, I mean, I might come back. But as long I'm with you, I'm a lucky man."

Zoey gave Murphy a smile and she kissed him. She then rested on her cowboy as they flew west while listening to Ellis's crazy stories.


	6. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Everyone eventually fell asleep to Ellis's stories, and Ellis eventually tried himself out. Bush was still awake, polishing his rifle, and Murphy was awake with Zoey sleeping on his shoulder. He had his rosary out, praying up at the night sky.

"So, you're a praying man, now," said Stephen as he woke up. "Don't remember you being that religious."

"Well, lot things have changed since the infection," replied Murphy as he put away his rosary in his jacket and pulled out his journal and pen. "I didn't know you made out of Pennsylvania alive."

"Yeah, and I never would have known that you survived three months on your own in Dallas, let alone becoming a legend."

"Well, did it ever occur to you that I might have survived because some of the survivors that you rescued might have talked about me?"

"Well, I wasn't sure. Yeah, some survivors would go up to say, 'Are you related to Austin Murphy' but I doubt that it was you. Besides, I heard you fell 20 stories."

Murphy giggled, causing him to stop writing. "So, besides you and John surviving, any word on Mary?"

"She's ok. She's at an outpost up North, somewhere in Minnesota. She wrote to me. How about mom and dad?"

Murphy sighed, "They died. Damn witch got them. How about Michael?"

"I don't know what happened to evil one." Then Stephen sighed. "Well, you should get some rest; we still got a long way to go until we get to the base."

"Ok, just let me finish up my entry." Murphy finished his entry, and then took some time to read it.

_January 20, 2011_

_After three months of isolation, I finally made it out of Dallas. Although I feel ashamed for leaving my post there, I still feel it was the right choice. I met a new group of friends and most importantly, I met Zoey. She is like Michelle. She's beautiful, independent, and nice. And I hope when everything is back to normal that I get to live with her for the rest of my mortal life. _

_Also in a strange twist of things, I found out that George and my two older brothers were alright. My sister made it out of New York alright, but I have no idea where Michael is. But, I hope I find him soon._

_Lastly, I am glad to say that I saved Michelle's father. Although Michelle isn't here to see him, he is still alive and well. Despite his age, the man can still fight and I can understand how Michelle was so tough. He is a pretty cool person, and I hope that I get to know him a bit more._

_I still love you Michelle Overbeck._

_Infected Killed Today_

_Common Infected Killed: 500_

_Hunters: 5_

_Smokers: 3_

_Spitters: 6_

_Jockeys: 7_

_Chargers: 4_

_Boomers: 2_

_Tanks: 3_

_Witches: 3_

Then the ranger put away his journey. He closed his eyes and slept the night away.


End file.
